Miss Elizabeth Weed Shutes

Miss Elizabeth Weed Shutes were born on 30 April 1871 in Newburgh, New York. She died by cancer in 1949. She was never married.

In 1912, Miss Elizabeth Weed Shutes was 40 years old. She was employed as a governess by Mrs Edith Graham for her 19 year old daugther Margaret Graham. Together the three women boarded Titanic at Southampton. They were travelling in first class and occupied cabin C-125.

Both Elizabeth and Margaret felt the collision. But crew man informed them that there was no danger, but Margaret did not believe him. She was eating a chicken sandwich and the chicken kept falling off because her hands were shaking.

Elizabeth soon learned that the ship was in danger. She overheard a conversation about the ships status and hurried to put on some clothes. Two americans helped Elizabeth, Eidth and Maragret into a lifeboat. The men then stepped back and did not made any attempts to get in. The lifeboat was number 3 and was occupied by 36 people. It was lowerd 1:00 am (15th April), and it was not a pleasant experince; As only one side of the ropes worked, the lifeboat at one time was in such a position that it seemed we must capsize in mid-air. There was no officer onboard the lifeboat, and the seamen in charge all gave different orders.

A mother and daugther was sitting next to Elizabeth in the lifeboat. During the night they told Elizabeth to sit close to them in order to keep warm. It was a great comfort for Elizabeth, who felt both lonely and scared.

When lifeboat number 3 cougth sigth of the Carpathia the passangers begun to burn papers in order to signal the rescuers. A passanger found a newspaper, ligthed it and help it up. Another passangers offered a straw hat that would burn longer.

Elizabeth did not use a ladder to board Carpathia, instead she sat in a rope sling and was swept aloft with a mighty jerk. From the deck a men shouted; Careful, boys, she's a light-weight!.

Credits:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

Return to "History"
Return to "Passangers"